Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned against the unchecked power of big tech during an exclusive interview with Breitbart News Sunday, recommending that America "looks at all the tools we have to protect free speech and prevent[s] the Internet from becoming a vehicle for censorship."

"The nexus of power in media has moved from New York City to Silicon Valley," Cruz told host Breitbart News Deputy Political Editor Amanda House.

"At this point, a handful of companies enjoy power that famed publisher William Randolph Hearst, at the height of yellow journalism, could never have imagined."

"We've heard reports from whistleblowers of 'shadowbanning', where you simply tweet or post something and nobody sees it, it just goes into the void, goes into the ether."

"Likewise, if there are views that a handful of tech companies like, they can favor those views and direct them to your feed so everything you see is the information they want you to see."

"That is a level of power that is staggering, and I think it poses a real and present danger to our democratic system, particularly given the extreme left-wing bias of Silicon Valley. What we've seen over and over again, they're acting to muzzle and silence conservative views, views they disagree with. That's frightening."

Cruz went on to suggest that social media platforms that engage in censorship should lose their legal protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which grants them immunity from liability for content posted by their users.

"It's a special immunity from liability that nobody else gets" explained Cruz. "The basis for that immunity from liability was that they were neutral public forums, that they were not the ones speaking but rather it was the people speaking and posting on them."

"Well, if they're not going to be neutral public forums, if they're going to be active political speakers, favoring one point of view and disfavoring another, they have a first amendment right to do that, but they have no entitlement to a special congressionally-created immunity from liability that nobody else enjoys."

Reader Comments

Cruz is right, but it's the influence of the deep state at the core of the issue. They don't care what the media is they're controlling. They encouraged Thiel to create Palantir and use it. Google discriminates against conservatives, creating a corporate echo chamber. Everything is owned by a handful of media conglomerates, so if censorship is happening, maybe Cruz, as a lawmaker, should do something about the oligarchy running the show.

But he won't. Politicians only open their mouths when it might enrich them.